Christmas-tree holder.



J. G. LYONS.

CHRISTMAS TREE HOLDER.

- APPLICATION mm DEC. 1. 19H.

Patented July 23, 1918.

I FBI/10R elalyam BY MTDIMEYS I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GEO. L YONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHRISTMAS-TREE HOLDER.

Application filed December 1, 1917.

Queens, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Christmas-Tree Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a Christmas-tree holder of that type having gripping jaws which are held in gripping relation to the trunk of the tree by the weight of the latter.

The invention has for its general objects to improve the construction of devices of this character so as to be reliable and efficient in use and so that the supporting base of the holder is of fixed size irrespective of the size of the tree trunk held in'the stand.

'A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a foldable holder or stand in which the gripping members are pivoted to the outer ends of pivotally connected crossing bars which maintain a permanent size supporting base, and another pair of pivotally connected crossing bars above the first are linked to the tree trunk gripping members, whereby the weight of the tree on the second-mentioned bars causes the upper.

ends of the gripping members to swing inwardly and firmly hold the trunk of the tree.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the holder;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the holder folded; and

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the. holder when folded.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the jaw members of the stand or holder which are in the form of metal strips inclined upwardly toward each other and having their Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1918.

Serial No. 204,847.

upper ends beveled to form sharp gripping jaws 2. The lower outer ends of the jaw members are connected by pivots 3 with cross members 4 which are connected at their centers by a pivot 5. These cross members are metal strips arranged with their faces in a horizontal plane, and the outer extremities are given a quarter turn at (i so as to provide terminal portions 7 disposed in a vertical plane so that the jaw members can be pivoted directly thereto. In this manner opposite jaw members are arried by the same cross bar, whereby the frame or stand can be folded flat when not in use. The cross bars serve to maintain a supporting base of fixed dimensions irrespective of the position of the j aw members.

In order to hold the jaw members in gripping relation to the trunk of a tree or the base of a staff the jaw members are pivotally connected by links 8 with the outer ends of. secondary crossing members 9, which latter are strips having quarter-turned extremities like the main crossing members at. The crossing members 9 are connected by a central pivot 10 which has an upwardly extending spur 11 which bites into the end of the tree trunk or staff supported by the holder and thereby cooperates with the jaws. to firmly hold the tree or staff upright. The two sets of crossing links are connected with the corresponding jaw members so that when the device folds it is comparatively fiat and the crossing members of each pair nest one into the other.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.- A holder of the class described comprising a pair of pivotally connected crossing members which form a supporting base; jaw members pivotally connected at their lower ends to the outer ends of the crossing members respectively, shorter crossing members pivotally connected and arranged above the first-mentioned crossing members, and means connecting the second mentioned crossing members with the jaw members, whereby the weight of an article supported on the second-mentioned crossing members will cause the jaw members to grip such article.

2. A holder of the class described comprising a pair of crossing members pivotally connected at their centers and being in the form of fiat strips disposed horizontally with quarter turns at their outer ends, jaw members pivotally connected to the turned outer ends, a second pair of crossing members pivotally connected. at their centers and being in the form of flat strips disposed horizontally and having quarter turns at 20 ing a pair of lower cross members, a pair of 26 upper cross members shorter than the firstmentioned members, jaws pivotally connected at their lower ends to the outer ends of the first-mentioned members, and links piv otally connected with the jaws at points adjacent the middle, and also connected with the second-mentioned members, whereby the weight of an article on such members causes the jaws to move inwardly at their upper ends to gripping position.

JOHN GEO. L'roNs. 

